River cruises on the Mississippi river come one step closer to taking travelers from New Orleans upriver to St. Louis.
Viking river cruises announced their new 386-guest river cruise ship touched water for the first time in Louisiana on Tuesday.
The ship named Viking Mississippi was “floated out” onto the river, marking a milestone in the ship’s construction and bringing the ship one step closer to setting sail with passengers sometime in June of this year.
“It is a proud moment that this new ship has met an American waterway for the first time,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking. “Our guests have long wanted to sail the Mississippi River with Viking, and we very much look forward to welcoming them on board this summer. We are grateful to our American partner, Edison Chouest Offshore, who has helped bring to life our vision of exploring the Mississippi in the Viking way.”
The traditional float out took place at Edison Chouest Offshore’s LaShip shipyard in Houma, Louisiana according to a press release.
The Viking Mississippi will accommodate 386 guests in 193 staterooms with an elegant Scandinavian design. The river ship will bring more than 7,500 guests up and down the river and more than 17,600 guests during the first full sailing season in 2023.
The ship will make port in seven U.S. states along the Mississippi river which includes Louisiana (Baton Rouge, Darrow, New Orleans, and St. Francisville); Mississippi (Natchez and Vicksburg); Tennessee (Memphis); Missouri (Hannibal, St. Louis); Iowa (Burlington, Dubuque, and Davenport); Wisconsin (La Crosse); and Minnesota (Red Wing, St. Paul).
